This was published 12 years ago
Toss up: iPhone battery cases
We compare two iPhone battery cases.
By David Flynn
Does your iPhone's battery give up the ghost before you finish watching that movie or posting on Facebook?
The easy fix is a specialised accessory known as a battery case. That name pretty much says it all: it's an iPhone case that contains its own secondary battery to complement the iPhone's. They dramatically boost the number of hours you'll get from your iPhone before plugging it in for a recharge.
One downside is they add bulk and weight to the phone, making it about 50 per cent thicker and twice as heavy.
It won't slide as gracefully into a pair of skinny jeans but it's still small enough for a pocket or purse.
The Mophie Juice Pack Plus boasts a battery rated at 2000mAh, compared with the 1400mAh of the iPhone 4 and 4S. This means you can run your iPhone for almost 2½ times longer than normal. The Juice Pack Plus case is also very solid, yet surprisingly comfortable, and with a choice of six colours, could almost have been made by Apple itself.
Although the Padacs Power Case 16 offers a lesser-rated 1600mAh battery, that's still sufficient to more than double the battery life of your iPhone when you're out and about.
The glossy-black plastic case looks appealing but feels less sturdy than the Mophie.
An undersize hole for the iPhone's camera causes a ''whitewash'' effect on photos taken with the flash, which rules out the Power Case if you regularly take night-time snaps.
THE VERDICT
The Mophie Juice Pack Plus is a superior product but its $US100 price tag, compared with just $25 for the Padacs Power Case 16, will result in plenty of iPhone users settling for the cheaper option.
Mophie Juice Pack Plus
$US100 ($99)
mophie.com
Padacs Power Case 16
$25
padacs.com